Join the IBM Systems & Technology Group at the Gartner Data Center Conference and learn how smarter computing strategies can help you gain insight, manage growth and leverage new technologies. The Gartner Data Center 29th Annual Event takes place at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, NV on December 6-9, 2010.

Visit the IBM Booth Z to see the latest in IBM systems and solutions. Take a tour of the Portable Modular Data Center; a turnkey data center built for any environment for remote, temporary, mobile and raised floor expansion solutions.

Please contact your IBM representative for more information and to arrange a meeting at the conference. We want to see our customers in Las Vegas at the show. Follow us on Twitter at @IBMSTG to get real-time conference updates!

Our schedule of live and on-demand web programs, provide STG customers and Business Partners with a convenient way to stay up to date on new IBM products and programs. Bookmark this convenient schedule of upcoming and on demand events.

Oracle's recent announcement to stop further software development for the Itanium platform has created a significant anxiety amongst clients using Itanium technology. The webcast will discuss how enterprises can mitigate their risks and build a transition plan to a superior platform. Register for this important webcast to hear about future options for Itanium clients from IBM executives. This webcast will feature discussions on the impact, decision path, and major considerations that a user might encounter as they look ahead for answers.

Find out how Cloud Computing can make IT economics work for you in this informative webcast. Join Tony Iams, SVP &amp; Analyst, Ideas International, Inc and Annette Miller, Program Director Cloud Computing, IBM Systems & Technology Group, as they discuss the advantages of private cloud and the key requirements for effective cloud deployment. Hear from the experts about the requirements for successful deployment of private clouds. Click here to register.

Smarter Computing--IBM's technology point of view to help clients apply architectural principles to federated data, optimized systems, cloud and new delivery models to transform entire IT infrastructures to improve economics and support innovation is explained in this virtual event featuring Smarter Computing announcements and customer success stories. Register here to listen.

On-Demand: Taming x86 Server Sprawl

Many IT organizations, burdened with the costs and complexities of managing expanding x86 server farms, have realized the benefits of server and workload consolidation on IBM Power Systems. Watch this eye-opening webcast, on the advantages and benefits of x86 server consolidation on Power. Register here to listen.

IBM Watson, named after IBM founder Thomas J. Watson, was built by a team of IBM scientists who set out to accomplish a grand challenge -- build a computing system that rivals a human’s ability to answer questions posed in natural language with speed, accuracy and confidence. IBM Watson passed its first test on Jeopardy! In February 2011, but the real test will be in applying the underlying systems, data management and analytics technology in business and across different industries. Listen to this webcast to delve into the present and future business implications of the DeepQA technology behind Watson. Click here to register now!

IBM is continuously looking for ways to enhance our products and solutions to meet our customer's need to keep pace with the rate of business change and expand their data storage needs. Towards that end, IBM is making a series of important announcements. Following is a brief summary of those announcements. To learn more, listen to the 15 minute webcast entitled, "Accelerate the Journey to Smarter Computing."

News about IBM Storage Systems.IBM delivers storage systems that analyze, adapt to, and improve application performance. Following are some of the enhancements.

XIV Gen3 now supports three terabyte drives and can support active workloads for less than half the cost of competitive storage systems.

The Storwize V7000 Unified, an advanced mid-ranger storage server offers file and block storage on the same system with a world-class user interface.

News about Cloud Infrastructure Solutions• IBM is launching new, easy to deploy starter kits that allow clients to respond to changing business demands and quickly move to cloud models. The Starter Kits for Cloud for x86 and Power dramatically increase IT efficiency for customers through standardization and lower operating costs.

• The zEnterprise Starter Edition for Cloud offers customers an entry-level infrastructure as a service delivery model for Linux on System z with Tivoli Provisioning Manager.

• IBM Systems Software delivers new cloud-ready capabilities that improve system utilization up to 50% and reduce time to deploy new workloads by 90% with advanced virtualization management. Systems Director VMControl V2.4 offers virtual image management capabilities for System z, System x and Power Systems users.

• IBM is also enhancing support and offerings for Business Partners, helping them to build clouds for their clients. Check out IBM Partnerworld for all the details.

News about business analytics and reporting services featuring affordable entry-level solutions.• With the introduction of new, all-in-one cost-effective analytics systems across our server platforms, IBM is providing companies with business analytics and reporting services to help them make faster and better business decisions.

• The IBM Smart Analytics System 5710 for System x users provides warehousing and analytics capabilities at an attractive entry point.

• The IBM Smart Analytics System 7710, built on POWER7 technology and IBM data warehouse management software and storage, is an affordable, integrated solution that can deliver analytics projects at half the price of the 7700.

• The DB2 Analytics Accelerator is an appliance Netezza-based system that plugs into DB2 for z/OS on a z196 server to speed response time for a wide variety of complex queries.

News about IBM Power Systems: new optimized systems that are tuned to the task for businesses of all sizes.• A number of enhancements to IBM's Systems Director family are designed to optimize workloads for systems by increasing IT staff productivity by up to 20%, reducing IT administration costs by up to 42% and reducing energy costs by up to 20%. For example, new capabilities in Systems Director V6.3 simplify usability and database management functions and improve performance and scalability.

• Enhancements to the Power Express server lineup, along with the Power 770, feature the latest industry I/O standards and deliver twice the throughput in the same physical and energy footprint. The Power 780 now offers up to 96 POWER7 processor cores, plus doubled memory, ideal for high throughput and big data analytics projects.

• Two new, entry-level System x servers -- the System x3100 M4 and System x3250 M4 -- feature low prices for clients who value server-class dependability, serviceability and security. The System x3755 M3, based on AMD Opteron technology, is designed for High Performance Computing and mid-size workloads such as database, business intelligence and ERP.

• IBM is expanding the application portfolio of zEnterprise, fulfilling a statement of direction to support Microsoft Windows on HX5 blades as part of the zEnterprise BladeCenter Extension (zBX) offering.

• Use storage efficiency as a foundation for unlocking insights and making better decisions

Today, clients are looking for solutions that help them handle specific business challenges and make better use of existing IT infrastructures. More and more clients are turning to cloud computing, analytics and other smarter computing solutions to help their businesses grow. Cloud computing deployments are expected to grow more than 19% per year, according to IDC (1), and a recent IBM CIO study (2) showed cloud implementations nearly doubling from 33% to 60% over the last two years.

"From the design of the servers, software and services, IBM solutions are created to help accelerate the journey to Smarter Computing," said Adalio Sanchez, general manager, IBM System x business. "IBM is delivering easy-to-deploy cloud and analytics products to help clients align their businesses to manage unprecedented amounts of data, and become much more efficient at turning that information into timely business insights."

Among the solutions introduced is a new version of IBM's BladeCenter Foundation for Cloud (BCFC), an integrated virtualization platform with built-in system management and preconfigured with servers, storage, and networking. BladeCenter Foundation for Cloud is now powered by the new generation of IBM BladeCenter HS23 systems that offer 62% more compute power, and comes integrated with the new 10GbE Virtual Fabric technology that enables clients to run 20% more virtual machines, creating an optimal environment for building and deploying advanced cloud applications.

The increased bandwidth and up to four times more memory allows the HS23 to support faster data transfers that are essential to virtualized cloud and analytic workloads. In addition, IBM FastSetup for BladeCenter, a cost and time-saving console application can help clients reduce from days to hours the time it takes to complete large deployments. Bytemobile and German Leibniz Supercomputer Center Bet on IBM Cloud and Analytics California-based Bytemobile (http://bit.ly/wwxyCC) and Germany's Leibniz Supercomputing Center in Munich are among the first customers to purchase IBM next generation x86 systems. Santa Clara-based Bytemobile, a leading global provider of mobile Internet solutions for global wireless network operators, is using IBM BladeCenter HS23 servers as the foundation for its cloud computing implementation.

"With the new performance capabilities of the BladeCenter HS23 combined with our software, we are able to achieve two-and-a-half times the performance over our previous infrastructure," said Chris Koopmans, chief operating officer, Bytemobile. "The IBM solution allows us to process large amounts of network data more quickly and easily. Given the way that video traffic is exploding on mobile networks around the world, this is crucial in being able to provide customers an optimal, seamless end-user experience."

The Leibniz Supercomputing center provides supercomputing services to scientists in Munich, Bavaria, Germany and other parts of Europe. It is in the process of installing a new high-end supercomputer based on IBM System x iDataPlex technology, which will help scientists solve a broad range of challenging scientific problems.

"Our new iDataPlex-powered SuperMUC system will help enable the scientific community to test theories, design experiments and predict outcomes as never before," said Professor Dr. Arndt Bode, director of the LRZ supercomputing center. "In addition, the new SuperMUC system will be able to provide previously unattainable energy efficiency along with sustained performance."

IBM SmartCloud Solutions for Mid-sized Business Clients

IBM also introduced new and affordable SmartCloud solutions powered by its latest IBM System x 3650 M4 server, the most expandable, upgradeable system of its kind. The x3650 M4 demonstrated excellent performance on industry-standard benchmarks. It achieved a leadership two-processor score for SPECvirt_sc2010 benchmark (3), set a new record for two-processor server performance on TPC-E (4), more than 45% faster than the previous-generation result achieved by the HP ProLiant DL380 G7 server (5), and a leadership two-processor result on Windows on two-tier SAP SD standard application benchmark. (6) The System x 3650 M4 also comes with IBM eXFlash solid-state storage technology, bringing exclusive IBM enterprise-class storage capability to a two-socket rack server. The SSD technology enables 30 times more performance and a 90% increase in performance per watt for consolidating collaboration and database workloads. In addition, the new x3650 M4 system supports the IBM Smarter Analytics portfolio of offerings, a set of compact, integrated, single-analytics offerings supported by storage-dense System x two-socket systems running IBM InfoSphere Data Warehouse and Cognos business intelligence and performance management software. IBM's new portfolio of x86 computing solutions also include: The IBM System x iDataPlex dx360 M4, which offers significant flexibility for supporting a wide range of high-performance computing workloads. The system is designed for datacenters requiring high performance with limited floor space, and power and cooling infrastructure. Available with specially designed exclusive IBM warm water-cooled technology, this iDataPlex system is up to 40 percent more energy efficient than air-cooled systems, recovering 90 percent of heat per nodes. The IBM System x 3550 M4, a dense, feature-rich 1U server designed for data and business critical workloads, and the IBM System x3500 M4 tower that provides data center performance in a desktop package. The x3550 delivers four times more memory, more virtual machines, and improved networking performance in less space at a comparable price. The x3500 also offers four times the memory, plus 33% more storage capacity than prior generations. It is designed for quiet operation and fits easily under a desk or rack, making it ideal for office environments. IBM Feature on Demand across the IBM System x product line. Feature on Demand allows clients to activate or unlock features in the firmware or software on demand, providing customers the ability to grow their systems as they grow their businesses without the need for costly rip and replace. New Business Partner Incentives to Sell Client SolutionsThe IBM Solution Accelerator incentive is a new channel initiative to sell combined software and systems, and business solutions. It has two elements. First is a Software and Systems reward that amounts to a 5% incremental rebate for selling eligible IBM systems and a 15% percent incremental rebate for selling eligible software together to a single client. Secondly, a Business Solutions Reward offers an additional 10% rebate for selling a solution aimed at a particular IT challenge on eligible software content of the solution. Eligible solutions cover client needs such as turning information into insights, managing risk, security and compliance and social business. In addition, approximately 1% in fees can be earned when clients finance their solution through IBM Global Finance. The new products will begin shipping worldwide by March 16, 2012. About IBMFor additional information about IBM System x and BladeCenter solutions, visit: www.ibm.com/systems/x86/betterfuture.

Results referenced are current as of March 6, 2012. View SAP benchmark results at http://www.sap.com/benchmark. SAP and all SAP logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of SAP AG in Germany and in several other countries.

IBM, System x™ and BladeCenter™ are trademarks or registered trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries. Other company products are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies in the U.S. and/or other countries.

Next week, IBM will be hosting a unique web event. We'll be doing an industry roundtable, entitled the "IBM Private Cloud: Why Infrastructure Matters." What's the difference between an a roundtable web event and a webcast you might ask? Well, this roundtable is designed to be more interactive that a typical webcast. On a webcast, listeners typically hear a presentation and get to ask questions at the end. In this roundtable format, we'll be taking some commonly asked questions from IBM customers and asking them of our speakers, David Reine, Analyst at The Clipper Group and Annette Miller, Worldwide Cloud Development Executive at IBM.

These experts will share best practices for choosing an infrastructure that gets the most from your cloud. You'll see how you cannot only look forward to increased utilization and availability, but also to solutions that can be easily integrated into your existing resources—saving you from costly "rip and replace" disruptions. With a strong private cloud foundation, you can start driving high-levels of business value with new offerings and services.

Companies are already turning to the cloud to extract the greatest utilization and value from their IT investments. But some are finding that immature and insecure infrastructures are limiting the efficiency of their cloud. They're still waiting on the promise of a flexible, scalable and cost-effective environment.

Register for this informative industry roundtable to hear customers' frequently asked questions on the cloud answered by experts! And bring your own questions,

Every IT manager knows that under utilized data center assets can quickly run up costs. But what do you do about it? On top of the space and energy they require, there's the additional administrative and software expenses . The more components you have the more complex your system can become. Sometiimes a standard virtualized cloud platform may appear to be an answer. But for organizations deploying clouds there's a more cost-effective solution—IBM® zEnterprise and Linux. Built with an advanced z/VM® O/S, this platform is designed to offer greater TCO for large scale consolidation, better service quality, built-in resiliency and easy-to-use functionality. Register for this live webcast to hear the benefits of the powerful combination of IBM zEnterprise and Linux.